Promotion

McG markets topless scene in Terminator Salvation

Marketing takes many forms, but perhaps the most effective is sex, or at least the promise of one incredibly sexy woman being topless on screen. So that’s just what McG is promising for Terminator Salvation, if it gets the chance to shoot for an R rating rather than a PG-13.

What’s probably the most effective result from this reveal is that fans and sites alike will go crazy over the thought of Moon Bloodgood topless and scream for that R rating, and the studio will relent. A bit of reverse psychology going on here don’t you think?

Actually I’m saying that in part sarcasm and part genuinely believing it. I’m really not sure if it’s an incredibly cheap move, well actually I am sure of that but I’m not sure if it’s a clever move for the film and might end up giving it a different feeling, or if it’s just going to feel a natural moment that gives extra depth to the story and the characters.

The story comes from SciFi Wire who heard McG and Moon Bloodgood talking at WonderCon about the scene in Terminator Salvation and saying that the topless shot would be in if they got the rating, and he asked the crowd about that who said they wanted the R rated version…or is that they wanted to see Bloodgood naked?

She was rather calm about the whole thing and said:

“It's a really pretty shot. ... I'm actually being really serious…I wouldn't have done it first of all, ... if I felt uncomfortable. Secondly, it wasn't a sexual thing. I mean, obviously, it's a sexual thing. But it was like a silhouette, and there's rain, and it's a moment where I'm just like, I'm drawn to this man and I just don't care anymore. Like, if you see me, see me naked, see my vulnerablities, see my emotions, see my body. ... I just want him to see me…

…It just depends on if it's PG-13 or rated R”

Try and forget for a moment that someone just so gorgeous and alluring is going to be topless in the R rated version and think about the scene, the characters, and the story. Would it feel right or detract from the story? Cheap marketing trick to try and get the fans to pressure the studio, or just exploiting some relevant section of the film to get the rating the director wants?